Patient satisfaction with in-hospital psychiatric care. A study of a 1-year population of patients hospitalized in a sectorized care organization.

Patient satisfaction with in-hospital psychiatric care in a community-oriented care organization was studied by means of a questionnaire mailed to a 1-year population of hospitalized patients. The response rate was 43.5%. The results showed that the level of patient satisfaction was high in some areas and low in others. It was higher with regard to staff-patient relationships, treatment programs and the physical environment of the wards, and lower in the areas of patient information, influence on management and design of treatment. Patients' ratings of the quality of different aspects of the treatment process were related to satisfaction. Patient satisfaction was also related to the level of global improvement. Male patients and older patients were more satisfied with the care received. No differences in patient satisfaction were found regarding diagnosis or length of treatment. Compulsorily admitted patients showed significantly lower levels of satisfaction in all areas measured, except for treatment design. It was concluded that there are some indicators of a decrease in patient satisfaction with in-hospital psychiatric care, which might be associated with the changes towards a community-oriented psychiatric care organization.